The Racial Politics of Historic Preservation in in Los Angeles: A Conversation with Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris and Hao Ding

Then & Now

At first glance, historic preservation seems to be a key part of good urban planning. But whom does historic preservation actually serve? In this week’s episode, our guests discuss their recent LCHP report that analyzes the power dynamics behind historic preservation. They look at the way in which historic preservation norms have been applied as an instrument of cultural control in three Southern California communities with large Asian-American populations. At the end of the day, they pose the question of whether historic preservation should be seen as an instrument of good planning or a form of cultural imperialism?

Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris is a Distinguished Professor of planning and urban design at UCLA. Hao Ding is a doctoral student in urban planning at UCLA. Both scholars were recipients of Luksin Center for History and Policy research grants.